


A different family

by aProcrastinatingOrange



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: A+ Amphitrite, Growing Up, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, OOC, Powerful Percy, Young Percy, au i guess, dad poseidon, good brother triton, might add more later - Freeform, small boi percy, technically character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24294766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aProcrastinatingOrange/pseuds/aProcrastinatingOrange
Summary: Sally Jackson was face to face with a hellhound, protecting a crying baby who was placed on a picnic blanket behind her. Poseidon wasn’t even able to summon his weapon before the hellhound attacked Sally, slashing at her chest. Poseidon let out a yell as he summoned a big wave to push the hellhound off, then threw his trident as he ran towards the woman he loved. The dog exploded into golden dust as he knelt beside her.----------------or Sally dies, leaving a baby Percy behind, and a loving father coming to pick him up.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 228





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic, yay?
> 
> This is something that I have kinda just wanted to put down somewhere, honestly getting some inspiration off of a couple of fanfics I read from ff.net. I've learned that I love small bean Percy, and I feel like there is a lack of it on this website.
> 
> Also, a warning that there is no one editing this other than me, so I apologize for my horrible grammar and probably slightly poor writing skills. I don't usually do this kind of stuff, so like I said this is a first for me.
> 
> Writing this first chapter has also made me appreciate people who do actually write all these fanfics, because dang is it a lot to write long chapters.
> 
> So ya I hope the 10 people that read this like it, constructive criticism is always welcomed, along with some love if you want to give it :)

Poseidon could feel that something was wrong.

He was at a meeting in Atlantis, something about adding a new part to the palace when he felt the hairs on his neck rise. His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to sense the issue. It was nothing in the ocean, that he knew, he would guess it’s more like a gut feeling. No longer paying any attention to the meeting, he left without a word, leaving the renovations to his wife Amphitrite.

As he was wandering down the corridor, his eyes widened as he came to a conclusion. He immediately teleported away, leaving dozens of small bubbles in his place. He found himself at a familiar beach in Montauk. He paused as he took in the scene in front of him. Sally Jackson face to face with a hellhound, protecting a crying baby who was placed on a picnic blanket behind her. Poseidon wasn’t even able to summon his weapon before the hellhound attacked Sally, slashing at her chest. Poseidon let out a yell as he summoned a big wave to push the hellhound off, then threw his trident as he ran towards the woman he loved. The dog exploded into golden dust as he knelt beside her.

Sally’s breathing came out in short and stuttered gasps, and her eyes flicked towards Poseidon’s as a small smile graced her face. He grabbed her hand and felt her give him a light squeeze before her eyes closed and her body going limp. Tears rolled down Poseidon’s face as the ocean raged all across the east coast.

“Please Hades, let her enter Elysium, she deserves it.” He held her as her body disappeared into golden light. It took him a minute to realize that the baby was still there, sobbing and screaming as if he could sense the death of his mother.

Poseidon skootched over to pick up the baby, Perseus, he remembered. No, not Perseus, Percy. _His son_. He gave a sad smile as he recalled the conversation with Sally.

_“Why Perseus?” Poseidon asked as he looked at the newborn held in his love’s arms, both happy for his boy but terrified of the child’s fate._

_“Well, the hero Perseus had a happy ending, and I want that for him as well.” He glanced up to see her giving him a playful look, “but call him Percy because even though I want the ending to be similar, he is a hero for the future, not the one from the past.”_

He rocked Percy to try and calm him down, quieting the beach as he swayed. As Percy started to relax, the almost one year old opened his eyes, showing Poseidon the blue-green color that he sees in the mirror. But almost as soon as they open, they started to close, exhaustion taking over the small boy. Poseidon let out a single tear as Percy fell asleep, a small arm draped across his body and a hand loosely holding onto Poseidon’s shirt.

“What am I supposed to do with you…” Poseidon sighed as warmth grew in his chest when Percy seemed to cuddle closer to his chest. He sighed again as he teleported the two of them back to his palace.

\----------

Poseidon ended up in the throne room, sitting on his chair with Percy held against his chest. Thankfully, the boy could breathe underwater without any assistance, which was a large handicap that Poseidon didn’t even think of until they were already underwater. He looked longingly at Percy whose hair was slightly floating around his peaceful face. But the longer he sat there, the more he realized that he didn’t actually know what to do with the child.

All the thoughts though floated away when Poseidon heard the swishing noise of someone approaching. He looked up to see Amphitrite, and as they locked eyes her shoulders seemed to relax.

“We were wondering where you went off too, I couldn’t sense you in the ocean” She paused as she saw Poseidon holding Percy. “My lord, who do we have here?” Poseidon looked closely at her neutral face. He could see the anger she was trying to conceal as she definitely knew who he was holding but waiting to see his answer. He stayed silent, but clearly his facial expression gave everything away. “I see,” she said sharply. “You realize he cannot stay here, yes?”

“Yes…”

“My lord, do _not_ \- “

“But I can’t just leave him Amphitrite. He’s my son.” Poseidon emphasized, gaining confidence against his wife. “And we will keep him here is secret, and I will treat him with as much love as I can.” Amphitrite gave him a pointed look that ended in a frustrated huff. “I swear if you harm one hair on his head-“ Poseidon threatened, rising from his seat.

“My lord I thought you knew me better than that. The boy is innocent, _you_ are the one I am furious with.” She paused to let that sink in. “And I am not the one who should be convinced of accepting the child, I will treat him kindly and raise him to make sure he knows how to behave. I am still a mother after all. Triton is the one you have to be wary of, he is not as forgiving to your bastard’s as I am.” At that she turned and strolled out of the room, leaving a dumbfounded Poseidon behind. Even though she was upset, it felt almost _too_ easy for her acceptance. He rubbed his face with his free hand, his wife was right, Triton would be rough to handle. So, Poseidon came up with a plan to deal with it, as every sensible God would.

He would push it off until Triton found out.

It didn’t take very long.

Poseidon was able to quickly make a room for Percy, it was right next to his, had a crib, a nightlight, and some coral decorations around the room. He was feeling very proud of himself as he left Percy for a nap in his crib and went to his room to tidy up. After a few moments though, he heard crying and screaming coming from next door. He rushed over to make sure Percy was okay but hesitated in the doorway.

The raw _power_ that Percy was admitting was astonishing. Of course, the boy was too small to really do much damage, but Poseidon could feel it, the potential. He took a shaky breath as he walked over to the crib to try and calm Percy. The screams were ear-piercing as he waved around his little arms and legs. It took Poseidon too much effort to not also break down at the pain that he saw in his son’s face.

“Shh… shh… hey, it’s okay… daddy’s here, daddy’s gotcha.” Poseidon cooed at Percy as he rocked him back and forth and bounced up and down. But Poseidon’s arms grasped Percy a little bit tighter as he felt the disaster rushing towards the room.

“What in the…” Triton stood at the door, giving Poseidon a quick glance before setting his sights on Percy. “Father, what is that,” Triton spat out. Poseidon just raised his head and tried to look as menacing as he could while still holding the screaming boy.

“Triton, this is your younger brother, Percy Jackson.” The number of emotions that played across Tritons face could have been considered funny if it were a different situation. First an almost surprised look, then confusion mixed with shock, to then finally land on anger.

“You-you brought a _bastard_ to the kingdom?!”

“I will _not_ tolerate you calling him that. Now, please leave, you are not helping the situation.” Poseidon ordered as Percy continued to cry, somehow seemingly louder than before.

“Do you honestly believe that I would just _accept this?!_ This-this demigod _thing_ that we should apparently treat as one of us?” At that, Poseidon marched towards Triton, poking him in the chest. The seas roared with Poseidon’s anger.

“Don’t you _dare_ call my son a ‘thing,’ otherwise you will _completely_ -“

There was a cough. “Gentlemen,” Amphitrite interrupted as she walked towards them in the hallway. “I do believe there is a small being that needs to be attended too before this little fight continues, if you may.” She walked between the two of them and after a brief face-off, was able to take Percy from Poseidon to then bring him back to his room. She sighed as she noticed Percy’s hands in fists.

“Darling, it seems you have failed to notice, but the boy is hungry, that is why he is not calming down.” Poseidon managed to look embarrassed as he stood next to an uncomfortable Triton. She continued to look at both of them until she sighed again. “This means we have to get him some food dear.” Poseidon then managed to clue in, and raced off towards the kitchens, before soon turning back.

“What do I need to bring him?” He asked his wife pleadingly.

She looked up, trying to not mouth off her idiot husband for taking on this child without knowing a single thing of what to do. “I know we currently need some kind of mushy food. Though I am not an expert on human children, so we will need to do research on what he is supposed to be having.” Poseidon dashing away again, leaving a slightly frustrated Amphitrite, an annoyed Triton, and an uncomfortable Percy, who thankfully stopped scream and was now withering in Amphitrite’s arms.

“Father has made a horrible decision.” Triton finally says. Amphitrite looked at her son.

“Yes, he has. And unfortunately, we will have to run with it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now chapter two!
> 
> To let you all know, I have an AWESOME new beta: Bumbl3Bee667
> 
> I also wanted to say that I don't have any schedule for this story. I wanted to try something new, and I'm pretty horrible at exact deadlines. Especially right now since I am taking 2 summer classes, a job, and having to deal with my parents. Also, writer's block can be a bitch (look at me, 2 chapters in and already complaining about writer's block)
> 
> Oh, and I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first notes, so ya. I definitely don't own Percy Jackson. Gods that would be absolutely amazing, but at the same time, I wouldn't be able to write any of the stories as well as Rick does.  
> ___________________________

After a couple of weeks, Poseidon was reminded that he still had a kingdom to run. Ever since he “adopted” Percy, he had been rushing around trying to figure out how to take care of the human child. He had sent a couple of nurses to the surface to learn as much as possible, and they came back with arms full of baby formula, mashed food, and diapers. He had the master bedroom and Percy’s current nursery connected so there is easier access between the two, and in the nursery a small pocket of air for a changing table, which they learned right away that changing a diaper wasn’t the smartest thing to do in the water.

Once everything seemed to get more into a rhythm, Amphitrite had notified Poseidon of some of his duties, which until that point had been pushed off towards Triton or herself. It pained Poseidon, but he had agreed to no longer spend all his time with Percy, leaving the boy in the capable hands of his nurses and other servants.

Surprisingly, Amphitrite had also become a lot closer to Percy. She was willing to help out when she could, and almost flaunted around Poseidon, claiming that Percy liked her better (and Poseidon wasn’t jealous _at all_ , since she was, of course, _wrong_ ). If he didn’t know any better, it would almost seem like Amphitrite was trying to get rid of Poseidon, so she had more time to take care of the boy herself. She was definitely still mad at him, but Percy seemed to almost bring them closer together as well.

Triton was clearly still frustrated, not talking to Poseidon if he could help it and acting as if Percy didn’t even exist. Which, in the long run, wasn’t the worst thing he could have been doing. He would really only talk to his mother outside of being professional, but that seemed to lessen the more she took care of Percy. Poseidon would have felt sad if he didn’t know that Triton would easily try to get rid of Percy if there wasn’t an unspoken threat above his head.

It also didn’t take very long for the rest of Atlantis to hear about the new addition to the royal family. It was a bit jarring, to say the least, but many quickly warmed up to the idea after seeing the boy, or at least hearing more about him. Percy was becoming very well known in the castle, with many of the servants tending to dote over him and compete on who would be on call for if there was a problem. It had been a long time since something so small and fragile had been underwater.

Percy was also warming up to everything nicely. Poseidon and Amphitrite tended to stay in their human forms around Percy to keep him more comfortable, even though he did get along with the mixed races of servants just as happily. He smiled more and more, and his favorite thing to do was throw objects, obviously after trying to eat them. Another thing they learned early on is not to give him any miniature toys. After the unfortunate scenario of Percy trying to eat a small red block, almost choking (thankfully it was just big enough to not make it down his throat) and scaring a servant half to death. This then led to a panic about whether it was safe to let Percy put anything he could get his hands on directly into his mouth, which after research, turned out to be a good thing. Something about the textures and jaw strength and how it will help them with their eating habits later.

At this point, everything had seemed to be going so… _smoothly_ … that Poseidon was nervous. Zeus wasn’t throwing some huge tantrum, no one was asking about the abnormal actions that the sea has been currently expressing (Poseidon was bad at keeping his emotions in check for when things would happen with Percy), and his people weren’t throwing some big uprising over the newly adopted child. As Poseidon was mulling this all over, he forgot that someone was actually talking to him.

A slight cough brought him back to the present. He was sitting in his throne room, supposed to be listening to some of the members in the kingdom, as he had been doing for the past hour. He blinked a few times, trying to recall what the female mermaid had been saying before his wife stepped in.

“We would be glad to give you some materials to help out with the renovations. You can talk to one of our architects about your ideas.” Amphitrite gestured over to a merman with a clipboard that was hovering by the door. The lady gave a quick bow and swam over. “I think that will be all for today, if there is anything of utmost importance please speak to someone on the council.” Everyone shuffled out of the room, leaving the two of them and a couple of guards at the door.

“Poseidon, we discussed this.” Amphitrite exhaled, clearly exhausted of his inattentiveness.

“Yes, yes, I know…”

“See you say that, but you seem to do nothing about it.” They stare at each other for a long moment, neither backing down. “You realize how important these extensions are, correct?” Poseidon nodded. Lately, more and more sea creatures have been showing up at their kingdom, ever since humans started polluting the waters with their carelessness.

“Now I realize you would prefer to tend to Perseus, but, as I have said, we have things to attend too.” Poseidon held back his remark about how his name was Percy and not Perseus, but he knew it would be in vain. Even though Amphitrite was closer to the boy, for some reason she refused to call him anything but Perseus. Poseidon thinks it was her just trying to annoy him, but he knew better than to voice that opinion.

“Triton has been running everything perfectly fine without my assistance.” This seemed to frustrate her even more, as she slowly shook her head side to side.

“Triton cannot do everything himself and you know that.” Poseidon huffed, not wanting to agree with her but knowing it to be true. While Triton did have a lot of authority around the guard, when it came down to more civil projects around the kingdom, it relies heavily on Poseidon, and he couldn’t push off these discussions for much longer.

“My lord?” Poseidon looked towards the door where one of Percy’s nurses, Filia, was standing. She gave a slight bow before continuing, “My lord, we are in need of your assistance.” Poseidon held back a smile, _perfect timing_. He stood up, giving a slight nod to Amphitrite, then followed the nurse towards Percy’s room.

He could hear the cries as he rounded the corner. It was just as bad as the first time, but after a couple weeks of this, he could feel that something was different with this cry. Something more towards a broken heart than hunger.

As he followed Filia into the room he could see why he was needed. There was a sphere of water surrounding Percy, spinning around just enough to give off the vibe of wanting to be alone. It was nothing the nurses couldn’t handle, but he could understand why they wanted the help. Honestly, Poseidon was surprised that Percy was able to pull this off, given his age and the lack of experience.

As he approached the crib, Filia bowed and walked out, giving them some privacy, which Poseidon appreciated. He stuck his hands inside the bubble, feeling the slight pull of the water before it disappeared. He hushed and rocked Percy back and forth as the child squirmed and screamed, which is when Poseidon realized why he was so upset.

“You miss your mother, don’t you?” He let out a long sigh. Closing his eyes and tucking in his head, he whispered. “Me too Perce, me too.”

After a few moments of no improvement, Poseidon made his way over to the added rocking chair. A few days after taking in Percy, Poseidon went back to Sally’s house in Montauk to see what was left behind.

_The door opened noiselessly, showing a small 3 room cabin. There was a bedroom, a bathroom, and a connected kitchen and living room. The kitchen was mostly empty, a few pans in the drawers, and a couple of plates in the sink. The only thing to give it life was the two plants in the little window over the counter. The living room consisted of a couch, a small table with a flower, and a light in the corner._

_It took three strides to get to the bedroom, with a full-size bed, a nightstand, a wardrobe, and Percy’s own space in the corner. It was clear where Sally spent all her money and attention. Percy had a blue crib with a mobile above it that consisted of seashells and fish. There was a rocking chair next to the crib, with a small bookshelf on the other side. The window above had white curtains with cartoon ocean wave decals on the bottom._

_The bookshelf had some strange stories that Poseidon would guess were written for children, but they sounded quite ridiculous to him. Stories like “Goodnight Moon” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Why would a caterpillar eat more quantities as the days progress?_

_The thing that really caught his eye, though, was a scrapbook. The front said, “Percy’s and Sally’s adventures!” with a sticker smiley face and camera. Poseidon gave a sad smile and opened the very thin book. It started with a picture of Percy at the hospital, just born, wrapped up in a large white blanket. Next, there were a few photos of her and Percy wandering around NYC, including being in a cab, looking up at the Statue of Liberty, and a small picnic that looked to be in Central Park. There were only two pictures on the last page. One of Sally holding Percy outside of the cabin, and one of the cutest photos Poseidon has seen._

_It was Percy sitting in the surf, splashing in the water and sand. The ocean was a gorgeous blue-green with a clear sky. He was wearing these cute, dark blue shorts decorated with light blue fish shapes. Poseidon couldn’t help but laugh at the ocean-related theme that Sally brought into Percy’s life. But the smile on Percy’s face, it could have been the sun. He was clearly laughing, looking at his mother with bright but mischievous eyes. Poseidon could imagine it, Sally holding the camera, trying to tell Percy to look at it but him refusing, instead wanting to look at his loving mother. Then Sally giving in and just taking the picture, living probably one of the best moments of her life._

_In the sleeve on the back was a birth certificate:_

_Name: Perseus Jackson_

_DOB: August 18_ _th_ , 1993

_Birth Country: United States of America_

_Mother: Sally Jackson_

_Father: Unknown_

_Poseidon exhaled, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Was he expecting himself to be mentioned? He knew it was impossible, but for whatever reason, he felt almost disappointed. He closed the scrapbook, deciding on taking it with him. Along with some of the strange books, the rocking chair, the mobile, and the small blanket that was left in the crib._

He slowly rocked back and forth, finally getting Percy to calm down at the familiar movement. Poseidon watched as Percy’s thumb found its way into his mouth, and eyes fluttered open to look up at Poseidon’s.

Poseidon had thought that babies were simple-minded, but at that moment, he could see the intelligence in Percy’s eyes. The way that they noticed that it wasn’t his mother holding him in the simple rocking chair and that he wasn’t in his cabin back in Montauk. Percy saw the face of the man that had found him alone on that beach, a man that for some reason he felt comfortable around.

A father, who loves him no matter what, and who hopes that the love will be returned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, the next chapter.  
> So sorry that it took so long, a bunch of family things started popping up (surprise trip to texas) and I couldn't find any time. But I'm not gonna sit here and waste your time telling you excuses.
> 
> So quick context, this chapter is going to be like quick snapshots of baby Percy, his important milestones and whatnot. I didn't want to make a bunch of small chapters and drag scenes out. So, I imagined that Poseidon picked up Percy when he was about 8 months, the beginning of the summer before his 1st birthday. I'll explain his ages in the bottom notes for each spot (if it doesn't specifically say) just so can have an idea of where I was going. I'm also not gonna spoil so it's at the end.
> 
> And that's it! On with the chapter
> 
> _________________________

Percy’s official announcement was held in a very crowded throne room. Before the official “reveal” Poseidon had to say a few things about the expansion of the castle and the renovations team. For this speech, Poseidon and Amphitrite were in their merman/maid forms, which they had been slowly having Percy get used to over the past few weeks. The ceremony was held once Percy could easily recognize them 100% of the time and was able to handle large crowds.

The boy in question was sitting on Amphitrite’s lap, wearing dark blue pants and a white button-up shirt. Poseidon had a small crown made for him, but like the rest of his toys, it only stayed in his mouth. Which was not ideal to have the small boy be eating his own crown in front of the kingdom.

Poseidon could feel the tension in the room at the beginning. Even though he was talking about a different subject, he could tell all eyes were on Percy. Poseidon tried to keep the worry out of his voice, not knowing how they would all take it. As the weeks went by, he clearly noticed how everyone was very accepting of Percy, but of course, seeing the demigod in person can really change minds. Also, Triton wasn’t making anything better considering he looked like he wanted to stab something.

Halfway into the speech, Percy got bored of whatever Poseidon was talking about and decided to start playing his new little game. The boy learned that he could make small bubbles by clapping his hands together. Then he would try and grab at these little bubbles, which then made even more bubbles appear. Poseidon didn’t get it, but it could keep Percy occupied for hours.

So, when his little squeals of happiness rang throughout the chamber, there was a collective sigh of relief. Poseidon glanced at his wife, slightly surprised she let Percy make any sort of noise. She raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say, _trust me, I know what I’m doing_. Poseidon gave an impressed smile, then turned back to the crowd to finish up the “important” announcements.

“Now as most of you may already know, there has been an extension to the royal household. I would like to formally introduce my son, Perseus Jackson, Prince of Atlantis.” There was a moment of silence, then everyone made some sort of bow to recognize the new Prince. Poseidon stood triumphantly, and Percy paused in his little game to watch the crowd.

Percy’s big speech: “humumumuma” with a winning smile.

\----------

The first thing Percy learned how to do was swim. Which they learned one night while everyone was sleeping. Being gods, they didn’t need to sleep to survive and whatnot. But Percy did, so Poseidon set up a system of sleeping at night (or sometimes only pretending too) so that he could keep Percy on a schedule. In the end, Poseidon and Amphitrite actually found it kind of nice to just have a break for a few hours. Most of the subjects in the kingdom slept anyway, so it was just another way to have some downtime.

One night while Poseidon was sleeping, he was forced awake when he felt something tickle his face. He used his hand to swipe whatever it was away, but when he hit something soft and made a bunch of giggling babbles, he opened his eyes. Percy was hovering above his head, trying to reach down towards Poseidon’s face. Poseidon quickly sat up, bopping Percy again, causing him to slowly float away in a new burst of giggles. This, in turn, woke up Amphitrite, who swatted at Poseidon, telling him to go back to sleep.

“Honey, we have a bit of a problem first.” She finally got a glimpse of the small child waving his arms around, seemingly playing with nothing. She groaned, flopped on the bed, and Poseidon got up to grab Percy.

Once the boy was tightly gripped in his arms, Poseidon walked back towards Percy’s crib, placing the child back down onto the blankets. This ended up having no effect, because almost instantly Percy was able to swim towards him. Poseidon sighed as Percy went for his face again.

“Honey, how do we keep Percy in the bed?” as Percy was able to settle himself by grabbing onto Poseidon’s hair. Amphitrite grumbled from the other room, as Poseidon turned to go ask her again, a bit more forcibly, he noticed the changing table, which was still surrounded by an air bubble.

Poseidon grinned as he turned back to his floating son. “Come here you little rascal.” He mumbled, grabbing onto Percy and tickling him a little, making him burst into giggles. Poseidon then grabbed him with one arm and snapped his fingers. Another bubble surrounded the crib. Poseidon gave Percy a smug grin. “See, now you can’t get away,” he said as he placed Percy inside his new air pocket.

Once Percy realized he couldn’t leave, he gave Poseidon his pouting face, with his big eyes and stuck out lip. “You little devil, I’m not falling for that.” Poseidon answered, using almost all of his willpower to not respond to the baby seal face. “I wonder if your mother could ever get anything done with that face. I highly doubt it.” Poseidon sighed, patting Percy on the head. “Now go back to sleep, I still got a few hours.”

Poseidon didn’t get his wish.

\----------

Not long after did Percy learn how to walk. It was almost natural, really. Poseidon was pacing in the throne room looking over a few things with Percy playing with blocks next to the throne. Suddenly, Percy just stood up and walked like he had been doing it for months. Poseidon stood wide-eyed as he watched the little boy hobble over to him to then grab his legs. It took another moment to realize Percy was using the currents to aid him and keep him upright. Poseidon _still_ didn’t move as Percy looked up at him, smiling from ear to ear, and slapping his legs as if to say, ‘daddy look what I did!’

Once all of this managed to process in Poseidon’s brain, his face lit up, as he bent over to pick up his little boy. “Look at you!” Poseidon threw Percy above his head, causing the baby to burst into giggles and babbles. “Amphitrite! Come and see this!”

He placed Percy on the floor as his wife walked into the room, a confused look on her face. “My lord, I was just heading…” Her voice trailing off as Percy then wobbled over to her, waving his hands in glory (and probably to keep balance). There were smiles all around as Amphitrite also picked up Percy, giving him a big hug then blowing raspberries into his belly, and if the little child could be laughing any harder, he was at that moment.

Poseidon felt as if he was on a sugar high. He had to tell everyone in the castle, childproof absolutely _everything_ , figure out _how_ to childproof things, and let all of Percy’s nurses know that he might become a little harder to handle. Poseidon already knows Percy has ADHD, it comes with being a demigod, so the restless child is now going to be able to travel wherever he wants, with nothing holding him back.

It took two days for Percy to start moving like there was no tomorrow. And three days for Amphitrite to realize something.

“My lord, Percy needs to know how to walk without the assistance of water.” She declares while they were eating lunch.

“I’m sorry?”

“Percy needs to learn how to walk with just his weight, no more cheating by using water. It will also, hopefully, give him a sense of gravity, just in case.” Poseidon raised his eyebrow.

“In case of…?” She paused and looked at him, trying to gauge how Poseidon would react.

“In case Percy ever goes to the surface. He needs to know what it is like.” Poseidon looked at her, surprisingly calm.

“I don’t know what you mean. Percy doesn’t ever need to go to the surface, it’s not safe. Just having his head above the waves could alert the other gods of his presence.” Poseidon keeps his voice level as he makes faces at Percy to try and get him to eat the mushy fruit without rubbing it all over his face.

“I understand, we just have to take precautions,” she hesitated. “Especially… especially if we send him to camp half-blood.” At that Poseidon stopped. He honestly hasn’t even thought about the camp made for the other demigods. He hasn’t had a human child in so long that he forgot it even existed. Was Chiron still running it?

“Doesn’t change anything. He doesn’t need to go if he isn’t in any danger, which is the whole point of the camp. And we have plenty of beings here that can teach him how to fight. Problem solved.” Percy was quiet for once as he watched his parents talk. It was almost as if he could tell exactly what they were discussing.

“My lord… you know we need to take all precautions. I don’t want our baby to go to the surface and be at a complete disadvantage. _Trust me_ when I say that I hope none of these things come to pass, but…” She gave him a look, and Poseidon understood. Of _course_ there was the risk, and in actuality, Poseidon just didn’t want to think about it. Imagining Percy being in any situation that could cause him harm was too much to handle.

“Alright. We can teach him. BUT, I don’t want to bring him to the surface and catch the attention of my brothers. We can train him here.” Amphitrite raised an eyebrow. “Besides, I am the master of creating air bubbles for our child.” Poseidon smirked as she picked up Percy to go clean him of the food that seemed to have gotten everywhere while they weren’t paying attention.

They met back in the throne room, hoping that the familiar scenery from the first steps would continue to the new ones. Poseidon had made a little ‘runway’ from the thrones to the front door. Wearing a new diaper and a blue shirt with white stripes, Amphitrite stepped out of the water and placed Percy on the floor.

The moment she let go he fell onto his back, eyes wide in confusion. That confusion slowly turned into discomfort and frustration. Poseidon could see the signs of tears, so he sat down next to his child, picking him up and sitting him on his lap, holding Percy in an upright position.

“Shh it’s okay, it’s okay. You probably feel a little heavy, huh? It’s just like when you are in bed, remember? We’ll just figure this out together, alright?” With some back-rubbing Percy’s distressed face slowly disappeared as he looked up at Poseidon almost expectantly. Poseidon smiled, lifting up Percy by his underarms and placing him onto his feet, but not letting go. He slowly let Percy take on more and more of his own weight, until it got to the point where he couldn’t stay on his feet any longer.

When Percy realized he couldn’t stand again, his face scrunched up in irritation as he looked down at his legs, almost as if he didn’t understand why they weren’t working. Poseidon barely opened his mouth before he heard a clap and a gasp come from Amphitrite, who at some point found her way next to him.

“You did such a good job!” She cheered as she leaned over, putting the small face in her hands. Percy looked up and blinked at her before smiling himself, forgetting how upset he was just a moment before after seeing his happy mother. The boy then slipped out of Poseidon’s grasp and sat roughly on the floor, gurgling and bouncing up and down. After a few more of Amphitrite’s praises, he got on his hands and knees and crawled towards her, a large smile still on his face.

“Baby I’m so proud of you! Look what you did!” She laughed as she pulled Percy up into her arms in a hug, rocking back and forth. Poseidon leaned back and grinned at his family, perfectly content with watching his wife and child have a bonding moment. Of course, Percy wasn’t able to walk, which was a little disheartening, but completely understandable. He wasn’t used to the pull of gravity, and Poseidon was surprised to see him crawl. Percy hadn’t needed to underwater, considering that there wasn’t that kind of weight he had to bear. It could be the equivalent of Percy learning how to swim, to learn the ocean currents to then use that knowledge to walk. Learn what it takes to move around a small body before getting to the final step. Or, technically, his _first_ step.

\----------

Poseidon and Amphitrite were at war. Battles were fought throughout the day, with nothing to show who was winning. The attacks never ceased, and there was no end in sight. There was only one question, one drive that kept them both going:

Would Percy say ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ first?

It was a couple of weeks before Percy’s first birthday, and preparations were being made for a party. There was an official invite saying how it was to celebrate Percy turning one, but Poseidon knew the politics behind all of it. Yes, he knew that the child’s first year was something to celebrate, which he definitely wanted too, but a year meant nothing to immortals. This party was to formally introduce Percy to the higher-ups in the kingdom and to try and show that the royal family is still together.

The main problem will be how to handle Percy. He can run both in and out of water, and easily uses the currents to help him swim at whatever speed he wants. And since the kid has everlasting energy, there would be no way that Poseidon could keep him in one place the whole night. Poseidon didn’t want to be playing tag throughout the party, it would look unprofessional. Maybe he could get some of the guards and waiters to always have an eye on him.

With all this in mind though, Poseidon made sure not to invite any family that isn’t particularly, well, _nice._ He hates to admit it, but Percy makes him extremely vulnerable. If anything happened to him, Poseidon would go crazy.

Another problem will be Triton. He has been almost MIA for the few months since Percy arrived, only doing his duties and practicing in the arena. Poseidon knew that he wouldn’t try anything too drastic, he knows his duties, but treating Percy like the plague during the party isn’t going to be doing them any favors. 

The night started out alright, with everyone seeming to be having a pleasant time. There was music, food, drinks, dancing, and small talk. Some mermen Poseidon hadn’t seen in a while came which was nice. Percy was more of a hit than he originally would have thought. As predicted, the kid stayed with Amphitrite for all of five minutes before deciding to dart off. He managed to both act like a one-year-old and slightly respectful at the same time. Giggling as he ran through all the fins and legs, but also giving some attention to whoever wanted to say hi or pick him up. Poseidon was impressed, and glad, because he didn’t want to be worrying about Percy too much throughout the party, he would leave that to Amphitrite.

Triton was making his rounds, actually looking like he was enjoying himself. Everything seemed to be running much too smoothly. After that thought, the cake finally made its appearance. And Poseidon felt it, Percy trying to get to the cake as quickly as possible.

“Excuse me,” he told the royal he was talking too before making his way over towards the cake. Unfortunately, Percy was a lot faster than he was, being able to run underneath everyone while Poseidon had to slightly push through the crowd. He finally broke free right as Percy was making the leap to get to the cake. Poseidon stuck out his hand to stop the water and Percy dropped to the floor.

He looked confused for a moment before looking over to Poseidon. They had attracted a bit of a crowd, and Poseidon saw Amphitrite walking towards them. Percy slowly walked over to Poseidon and looked up with his big seal eyes. After a silent standoff between the two, Percy then pointed over at the cake, while Amphitrite was finally in full view.

“Up!” Poseidon’s mouth opened at Percy’s first word and Amphitrite sighed. The war was over, and they lost to a blue cake.

\----------

And just to stick it Poseidon, Percy’s second word was _Mama._

\----------

A strange event occurred several months later. Triton suggested something during breakfast.

“Father, you need to give the half-blood a haircut.” Poseidon almost spit his drink in surprise. He looked at Triton shocked, which just made Triton sit up more and turn back to his food. “The kid can barely see, and he keeps running into things. It’s quite bothersome.” Even though Triton’s face looked annoyed, Poseidon couldn’t hear any malice in his voice, as if he cared about the hair cut (which Poseidon knows that Triton prefers short hair over long, since Poseidon is quite the opposite).

“Noted.” He answered while smiling into his drink, he could feel Amphitrite trying not to react next to him while she tried to get Percy to eat some more food.

Getting Percy to sit still for this haircut, though, was another task in itself. He had been growing a lot of teeth lately, so he was doing this thing called “teething” (according to nurse Filia). Poseidon hated it because it made Percy cry a lot more ‘cause of the pain of new teeth, and it also wasn’t the greatest when Percy was trying to stick the trident in his mouth. So, he was super fidgety and grabbing onto everything around him.

Poseidon was trying to calm him down, which seemed to be working. But with an ADHD child, it didn’t work as long as they had hoped. Filia was just able to cut off a few strands when Percy decided to shake his head. This caused an unfortunately large chunk of hair to be chopped off, which had Poseidon groaning. The nurse looked at him with an apology written all over her face.

Poseidon waved his hand at her, signaling that it was fine. At the same time, he came up with a perfect idea. “I’ll be right back.” He said as he stood up and made his way over towards the kitchen.

He came back to a crying Percy yelling out for his dad, which just broke Poseidon’s heart. With a soft smile he went onto his knees to be at face level with Percy.

“Hey buddy it’s okay, here I got you something.” With that, he pulled out some cookies to hand to Percy. The small child’s face lit up like the sun before reaching out and grabbing one. “Now you have to promise that you will stay still, alright?”

Percy gave an exaggerated nod before starting to nibble on the cookie. Poseidon sat back in relief, nodding to the nurse to continue. She gave him an amused smile before getting back to work, trying to fix the noticeable piece of empty hair.

It mostly worked.

\----------

Percy was 2½ when he transitioned to his first real bed. He had been escaping from his crib for a couple of weeks, climbing over the fence and finding his way into Poseidon and Amphitrite’s bed. And no matter how much they both loved him, it wasn’t the greatest feeling when a small child decides to jump on top of you unexpectedly.

Amphitrite was originally against it, but Poseidon suspected that it was just because she wasn’t ready to accept that Percy was growing up. Originally, they wouldn’t really care how much time passed, considering they were immortal. But watching the time go by through his child made it seem like years were going by in seconds.

Poseidon had his craftsmen make a few beds for Percy to choose from, considering he had absolutely no idea what the frame should look like. The first one was a simple white headboard with some nice swirling patterns, nothing special (which is more how Poseidon liked it). The next one didn’t have a backboard, just the bottom to hold the mattress.

The final one had a dark blue headboard with white posts. There were seashells scattered around it, and wave indents in the wood. There was no question that Percy liked that one the most. His eyes grew wide in awe as he walked over to the bed, looking back at Poseidon and pointing while asking please over and over again.

“Sure Percy, you can have that one.” Poseidon chuckled. Percy gave a big smile.

“Yay yay yay yay yay!” Percy cheered as he bounced over to Poseidon, grabbing onto his legs in a hug. “Thank you, Daddy.” Poseidon’s chest became all warm as he then bent over to pick Percy up, throwing him into the air before grabbing him into a hug. Percy was squealing and laughing, and Poseidon couldn’t have felt any happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I totally imagine an emotional Amphitrite that like dotes over Percy so that's gonna be her job. But at the same time probably talk decently formally to everyone else. 
> 
> So the announcement Percy is like 10 months, 11 as he starts swimming, his birthday he is obviously 1, almost 2 for his first haircut, and 2 1/2 like it says. 
> 
> I also want to thank everyone for the kudos, and a big thanks to May1974 and Brookeyy14 for the sweet comments. You guys keep me going.
> 
> And as always thank you to my wonderful beta Bumbl3Bee667


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys... long time no see.  
> So I have been sitting on this chapter literally since I finished the last one. I don't know, I was stuck so long on the last couple of paragraphs it kind of hurt.  
> I could give a million other excuses of what's been going on, school, writer's block, we have just finished moving out of my old house, ya know, life goes on. I have plans for the next chapter, so hopefully, that one will be updated sooner rather than later, ya?  
> I hope you guys like this one :)
> 
> As always, thanks to my beta Bumbl3Bee667 for being the best and fixing my horrible grammar.

A moment Poseidon had been dreading came when Percy was about 5 years old. Poseidon still wouldn’t let him out of the castle alone, but Percy was able to find the training grounds. Ever since he had been dying to try.

“Daddy he just picked up the pointy fork thing and threw it at the big circle thing and got it in the middle and then Tri was fighting with someone else and he was like hiyah! With the fork and the other guy stopped it but Tri just like pushed him back and the dude fell over and it was so cool and–”

Poseidon was sitting upon his throne as he watched Percy swirl around while swinging his arms and blabbering about his find. He rubbed his face, it was only morning and Percy had already managed to give him a headache. Poseidon almost wished he would go back to the days of crying and diapers. Almost.

“Can I try?” Poseidon looked at Percy, who was doing the stupid puppy face that he now knows exactly how and when to use. Poseidon let out a sigh and closed his eyes but felt a tugging on his shirt. “Please, please, please, please, please?”

“Percy, I don’t want you to be around the sharp objects. You could get hurt, and you know your mother would kill me if that happened.” Percy was dramatically shaking his head.

“No, I’ll be super duper careful! And, and, someone can teach me so I will be okay and, and, I’ll be the best sword person ever!” The triumphant look on his face made it seem like he was already as good as he planned to be. “Please, please, please, please, please–“ Poseidon sighed and looked around the throne room, trying to find someone who could get him out of this predicament.

Poseidon rubbed his face again. The problem was, even if he didn’t give Percy permission, the kid was going to wander there anyway. And at least with a form of acceptance, he would be able to have slight control over the situation.

“Alright, alright. You can go watch, understand? No touching the swords, no running around, and stay in sight of a guard at all times. Promise?” This caused Percy to pause and stare, realizing that Poseidon had foiled his entire plan. So, Poseidon decided to sweeten the deal. “And if you do this, I will talk with Amphitrite about getting you a trainer.” This seemed to work when the smile returned to Percy’s face.

“I promise Daddy.” Percy jumped up, giving Poseidon a hug, then ran off. Poseidon watched him go, already regretting the decision.

\----------

Triton was training his soldiers when he noticed the little... disturbance. He was walking through the rows, giving out tips on their forms when he saw some soldiers in the back turning and seemingly talking to someone. He swam over, ready to tell them off when he saw who they were talking to, the stupid demigod.

Triton was fuming. This was the last straw. He had successfully avoided the bastard since day one, as he watched everyone in the kingdom fall in love with the little urchin, even his mother. And honestly, when the boy wasn’t in his way, he didn’t exactly mind him. But this was too far. Coming to his training session and distracting his soldiers, Triton would have struck the half-blood down, then and there if it wouldn’t cause so much trouble.

“What is going on here.” Triton angrily said to the group. The soldiers clearly picked up on his tone and hurried away, but the half-blood didn’t seem to notice the issue.

“Tri! Look, I found you guys all fighting! It’s so cool! But I’m not allowed to touch the swords and stuff because Daddy said so.” At that the kid pouted, still not feeling the rage rolling off of Triton.

“Who allowed you to come here?”

“Daddy did. He told me how I shouldn’t do anything but watch though before he finds a trainer.” The boy crossed his arms and looked out towards the field, before his eyes widened, seeming to realize something. “Tri, what if you teach me! That would be so cool and…” Triton stopped listening, and instead, laughed hysterically.

“You believe that I would teach you how to fight? You won’t need to lift a finger your entire short life if Mother and Father had anything to say about it. I won’t allow any babies on my training grounds, so I do not care what father has to say. Do not come back here.” The boy stared at Triton, blinking comedically.

“I-I’m not a baby!” Triton rolled his eyes, of course, that was the only thing his small brain would pick up. At that, the half-blood ran off sniffling.

Triton took a deep breath to attempt to calm himself before turning around. Everyone clearly heard the argument and had stopped to watch. Triton gritted his teeth.

“Well?” They all turned to get back to work, clearly not wanting to be on the other side of Triton’s lingering anger.

\----------

Percy swam through the halls towards his room, trying desperately not to cry. Babies cried, and he was a big boy now. But that didn’t stop the sniffling of his nose and the stinging of his eyes. He heard merpeople trying to ask him what was wrong as he passed by, but Percy ignored them, desperately wanting to be alone.

Once he reached his room, he flung open the door and dove onto his bed. Once his face was covered, he balled into his pillow. Big boys are allowed to cry in their rooms… Why was Triton so mean? Percy just wanted to learn how to fight, and Triton was really good at it.

Percy didn’t know how long he had been lying there until he heard a knock on his door. Sensing his dad in the hallway, he hastily sat up. He quickly tried to rub all the residue snot and tears off his face before calling to let his dad in.

The door opened slowly before revealing a concerned father. “Percy, are you alright?” Somehow, that one sentence triggered all of Percy’s previous emotions. He felt the familiar prick behind his eyes and quickly turned his face away, so his dad wouldn’t see. Percy felt the bed dip and strong arms pull him into a hug. He turned back, crying into Poseidon’s shirt and just basking in his dad’s presence.

“What happened?” Percy stayed silent. He wasn’t going to rat out Tri, he could handle the situation himself, even though he did really like the comfort of the hug. Poseidon leaned back to look at Percy in the eye. “Percy, what is going on?” Percy looked away, but a large hand pulled his face back. “Percy…” Poseidon managed to sound both firm and comforting.

“I, uh, ran into a table, and it hurt.” Percy lied, trying to throw his father off the trail. Poseidon furrowed his brows as he looked down at Percy.

“If you are injured, then we need to take you to the court’s healer, she needs to see if anything’s wrong.” Percy’s eyes widened.

“No! I-I mean, no it’s fine. I’m not hurt anymore.” Percy looked away again, not liking lying to his dad. Poseidon pulled him back into the hug, and they sat there for a few more minutes, Poseidon slightly rocking him back and forth.

“Percy, you should get some sleep. You look exhausted.” Percy slowly nodded, eyes dropping from all the crying and the comfort of his father making him sleepy. “I hope you feel better,” Poseidon said, tucking Percy into bed then walking towards the door. Percy curled up into a ball and cuddled into the pillows, missing his Father’s presence before slowly falling asleep.

\----------

Poseidon closed the door and let out a long breath. Percy’s little injury story wouldn’t have fooled anyone, the kid was too sweet to successfully lie. Which meant Poseidon would have to do some investigating before Amphitrite found out. He could clearly tell that it had something to do with the training grounds, which almost answered his suspicions instantly.

Poseidon had figured out something was wrong when he felt Percy manipulating the water in his bedroom. The closer he got, the more he realized that the feeling was familiar. It was the same as what Percy would do as a baby, creating a sphere of water to surround himself. Poseidon hadn’t sensed it in a long time, and it clearly wasn’t as out of control as before.

With Percy having more awareness of his powers, if he really wanted to, Percy could have made a whirlpool around himself without breaking a sweat. Poseidon figured the sphere must be some kind of defense mechanism for when he felt threatened since it was similar to when he was just a baby missing his mother. At this moment, Percy probably didn’t notice the difference since he was unconsciously creating it.

The second Poseidon knocked on the door though, the movement was gone. Percy probably realized it was him and felt more comfortable. Seeing Percy hurt still killed Poseidon on the inside, but of course, he had to be strong for his son. For whatever reason, Percy refused to tell him the problem, which confused Poseidon because Percy was the most honest being Poseidon knew.

Before he walked onto the grounds, he had to quickly confirm his hypothesis. He had to keep up appearances, which included avoiding punishing others based on assumptions, even if it was his own son. He pulled a guard over to the side, dismissing the horrified look on the merman’s face. He must have been new and was not prepared for a confrontation with a slightly angry looking King. The merman was starting to open his mouth and bow, but Poseidon cut him off, he wasn’t in the mood for formalities.

“Can you answer something for me?” The merman quickly nodded his head but was now attempting to act calm. “Was there an argument between my son’s here earlier?” The guard’s eyes widened again, before quickly glancing around.

The merman seemed to drop his shoulders before answering. “Yes, my Lord.” Poseidon tightened his jaw and swiftly left before he said something he shouldn’t in front of the guard. Seeing Triton battling one of his men, Poseidon kept a calm but firm presence as he made his way over. The half-shark looking being that was in the battle noticed Poseidon first and froze. After a moment, Poseidon noticed Triton stiffen, realizing what was to come.

“Triton, may I speak with you for a moment?” Poseidon gave the courtesy of making it sound like a question when it was clearly an order. Triton turned around a steady look on his face.

“Of course, Father.” He answered with a slight bow, before following Poseidon out.

\----------

“Triton, what did you say to Percy?” Poseidon had led them back to the throne room, which was thankfully empty. He turned to give Triton a hard look, while Triton continued to have a neutral face.

“Nothing he shouldn’t have already known.” Poseidon clenched his teeth.

“I see. Now, what would that entail?.”

“Just that the child doesn’t need to fight, and I won’t allow him on my grounds.” There was a moment of silence while Poseidon tried to control his breathing before answering.

“Triton, you are very lucky that Percy is too nice to tell me the whole story; otherwise I believe this conversation would be very different at this moment in time. Also, he is allowed to be on the grounds, and… will be trained how to fight.” Of course, he still had to talk to Amphitrite about this, but this argument made up his mind.

“Father, it is a ridiculous idea to train the boy if you’re never going to let him even leave the castle. And of course, the other reason.” Poseidon could see Triton’s calm expression cracking as the conversation escalated. He wouldn’t be surprised if his own face mirrored his eldest’s.

“Other reason?”

“Do not play dumb, we both know that he is the child of the Prophecy. He could very well be the undoing of us and you want to willingly give him the tools to take us down!? We should be sending him back to the surface for Zeus to take care of him, heck, you should be the one to do it since you broke the oath in the first place!”

“Don’t you dare use that tone of voice with me, or even suggest we do that type of thing. Percy is your brother and I expect you to treat him as such. The future heir to the throne should not be acting like this.” At this point, the two were inches away from each other, but Poseidon was clearly using his height to his advantage to harshly look down at Triton. Not that Triton seemed to notice or care.

“At least I am not blinded by–"

“Enough!” Both Poseidon and Triton turned to see Amphitrite standing in the doorway, clearly agitated. As she made her way towards them Poseidon finally noticed how close he and Triton were and moved backward.

“This is completely outrageous, you two squabbling in here like children. Triton, I don’t want to hear about any more problems with you and Percy and expect you to try and play nice and get along with your brother.” Poseidon almost smiled triumphantly, but then Amphitrite set her furious sights on him. “And Poseidon, you cannot act so immaturely. You are our King, and you need to behave as such. Now, quell your anger before you wipe New Zealand off the map.” With that, she turned and left, not even bothering to see the reaction of the two.

Poseidon cleared his throat after a moment of awkward silence. “I have some things I need to attend to, and I believe you do as well?” Triton nodded and swiftly departed, leaving Poseidon alone with his thoughts.

Unfortunately, Triton was right. Poseidon was worried about the prophecy. Even though he had some inside information; there was a rumor that Zeus had his own child running around. And if anything, if they made Percy feel accepted and loved by the family, there would be no way he would just turn around and betray them. Or at least, that’s what Poseidon hoped.


End file.
